First there was the Little Engine That Could: “I think I can, I think I can.”

Then, there is Alex DeBrincat: “I know I can, I know I can.”

That was October 16, 2015 when I began my player profile on an equally small 5’7”, 160 pound Alex DeBrincat of the Erie Otters. And we all know by now that DeBrincat is a member of an ever-growing list of smaller players finding success at the National Hockey League level. The same “I know I can, I know I can” can be applied to Owen Sound Attack forward Aidan Dudas.

I’m not suggesting that Dudas is on the same level as DeBrincat. But I do believe his offense can translate to the NHL. Currently, he has 26 goals and 29 assists in 51 games for the Attack.

Dudas played his Minor Midget hockey with the North Central Predators during the 2014-2015 season. In 31 games for the Preds, he scored 25 goals and added 26 assists and was named the league’s player of the year. He’s played in both the OHL Gold Cup (1 goals, 5 assists in 5 games) and the OHL Cup (2 assists in 4 games).

The Attack would select Dudas with the 10th overall pick at the 2016 Priority Selection.

Dudas broke into the OHL during the 2016-2017 season. He would finish the season with 8 goals and 13 assists in 56 games. He would contribute 3 goals and an assist in 17 playoff games. He also represented Canada at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17 helping Canada Black win a silver medal. At the tournament he was named an Alternate Captain and posted a goal and 4 assists in 6 games.

This season began with Dudas representing Canada once again, this time in August of 2017 at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial. This time he won a Gold Medal and scored once in 5 games.

In November, Dudas was rated a C Prospect on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list. A C prospect is considered a fourth, fifth or sixth round pick. On their mid-term rankings, Dudas was ranked 131st among North American Skaters.

Dudas was a late addition to the NHL/CHL Sherwin Williams Top Prospects Game. With the help of Central Scouting, the top 40 Canadian Hockey League players are selected to participate and Dudas did not disappoint the scouts on hand, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist to help Team Cherry win over Team Orr.

At the end of January, Dudas ranked in the top ten in goals, assists, points, faceoff percentage and shots on goal among the OHL’s draft eligible players.

Dudas doesn’t possess elite skating speed which would be a huge bonus for him because of his size. But his speed is above average. He is strong on his skates with good agility and excellent edge work. He ranked second at the NHL/CHL Sherwin Williams Top Prospects on ice testing in transition agility with the puck. With the extra work players are beginning to do with skating coaches, I have no concerns that Dudas cannot add an extra gear.

Dudas plays the game with an elevated level of energy and an undeniable work ethic. He puts that effort into use in all three zones. You will often see Dudas as the first player back on the back check with a never give up mentality.

Dudas is at his best with the puck on his stick. He has excellent puck handling skills with an ability to keep the puck out of reach of defenders. He possesses excellent vision and superb playmaking/passing skills. But he also possesses a very good shot and once he began to realize it is an effective weapon at this level, he began using it more often and climbing up the shots on goal list in the OHL. But it’s not just about firing the puck on goal. He’s getting into the danger zone for high quality chances. That in itself speaks volumes for a player of his stature.

Quite simply: He makes everyone around him a better player.

DeBrincat dropped to the second round in 2016 to the Chicago Blackhawks because of his size. Again, I am not suggesting Dudas is the first-round prospect DeBrincat was. But I do believe he has second round talent. There is no doubt in my mind that if he were 3 inches taller, that’s the position we’d be talking about with Dudas. The question everyone including yours truly is asking is can he translate to the NHL with his size?

Following the Top Prospects Game, Dudas gave a heart felt interview to Greg Cowen of the Owen Sound Times regarding his being left off the original group of players named to the roster and Central Scouting’s ranking. You can read that article here.

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January 31 brings us within a hair of the three-quarter mark of the Ontario Hockey League season and there are many interesting individual races in a variety of statistical categories. As always, we look at players eligible for the National Hockey League Draft in June in Dallas Texas, for the first time. That is not meant to take away from players re-entering the draft. While I believe some of them will get drafted the second time around, history has shown that they are usually passed over the second time.

It’s hard to imagine, or maybe it is not, where Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts would be had he not missed almost two months with a wrist injury. Despite missing seven weeks and playing in twenty fewer games, Svechnikov leads all draft eligible players with 23 goals in 27 games. That’s two more then Aidan Dudas of the Owen Sound Attack and three more then Ty Dellandria of the Flint Firebirds, who both have played 47 games.

Thanks in part to Svechnikov’s absence, a pair of highly touted defensemen lead all players in points. Evan Bouchard of the London Knights leads the pack with 60 points in 47 games. He is followed closely by Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm who has 57 points in 47 games. Akil Thomas of the Niagara IceDogs comes in third with 56 points in 47 games.

Of course, it goes without saying that Bouchard and Merkley lead all defensemen in the point scoring race. Rasmus Sandin of the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds sits in the next tier by himself with 30 points in 34 games. Yours truly has made it no secret that Sandin would be my choice as the second defenseman taken from the OHL. Giovanni Vallati of the Kitchener Rangers comes in fourth with 20 points in 47 games.

Over the years, there has been a great debate over the value of the plus-minus stat. Whether you agree or not, there is some value to the stat. And Sandin leads the way with a plus-28. That’s a comfortable plus-10 more than teammate Barrett Hayton and Nathan Dunkley of the London Knights.

Serron Noel of the Oshawa Generals led the entire OHL for most of the season in shooting percentage. As of January 31, he drops to second, but still leads all draft eligible players at 25%. Svechnikov comes in second, scoring on 22.3% of his shots, while Cam Hillis of the Guelph Storm comes in third at 21.8%.

Bouchard leads all shooters in shots on goal with 211, which is good enough for second overall in the OHL. He has a comfortable lead over Dellandria (173) and Dudas (172).

While we take great care in compiling stats, always refer to the OHL website for official stats.

Guelph, ON – For the second straight year, Team Cherry’s offensive instincts rose to the surface as gorgeous goals and a few additions to the event record book paved the way to a 7-4 win at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph.

Team Cherry’s Jim Gregory Player of the Game Award recipient Evan Bouchard (London Knights) tied a pair of event records with four assists and four points from the back end while forward Ty Dellandrea made a record-breaking contribution of his own with two goals just 20 seconds apart.

“They came at us hard to start the game but we bounced back and once we scored a goal or two we gained momentum and that really carried us,” said Bouchard, who tied Daniel Briere’s event record of four assists set back in 1996. “It’s easy to generate chemistry when you have the chance to play with great players like this.”

Dellandrea’s pair of bang-bang goals late in the first period surpassed a long-standing record set by JP Dumont back in 1996.

“The guys all played great and I was just fortunate to be able to finish on those great plays by my teammates,” said Dellandrea who is just the second Flint Firebirds player to ever suit up at the event.

“Our team grew close over these past three days and we all had a lot of fun out there tonight.”

Six different Team Cherry players had multi-point outputs as second-ranked North American skater Filip Zadina (Halifax Mooseheads), late addition Aidan Dudas (Owen Sound Attack) and Dellandrea each finished the night with a pair of markers.

After a back-and-forth opening half of the first period, Don Cherry’s squad took over with four goals in a span of 2:32.

Russian winger Egor Sokolov (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) got things started, finishing off a broken play in the slot with a quick release through the legs of Team Orr netminder Alexis Gravel (Halifax Mooseheads) at 14:10.

Dudas snuck in behind the Team Orr defence just over a minute later, taking a Bouchard up-ice feed to go in alone and beat Gravel through the legs.

Dellandrea would proceed to set a pair of new Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game records, making the score 4-0 when he tallied 20 seconds apart to smash JP Dumont’s 1996 mark of two goals in 3:22.

Dellandrea’s second marker came on a deflection off a Nico Gross (Oshawa Generals) point release, giving Team Cherry three goals in a span of 1:07 to set another new event mark.

Team Cherry picked up where it left off 4:12 into the second frame as Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) found NHL Central Scouting’s second-ranked North American skater Filip Zadina (Halifax Mooseheads) waiting in the slot for a one-time finish past his Halifax teammate Gravel.

After a number of quality power play scoring chances, Team Orr broke its offensive silence just shy of the midway mark of the second as big blueliner Kevin Bahl (Ottawa 67’s) sent a shot toward the goal that was deflected enroute by Serron Noel (Oshawa Generals).

Both clubs changed goaltenders at the midway point with Team Cherry in the lead 5-1, outshooting Team Orr 21-14 as Jacob Ingham (Mississauga Steelheads) and Kevin Mandolese (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) took over in the crease.

Though the 6-foot-6 defenceman has just one goal in Ottawa this season, Bahl jumped into the rush to cut Team Orr’s deficit to three with 6:12 left in the second frame, coming in late as the trailer to rip a quick wrister past Ingham.

Dudas would put away his second of the night 1:12 later, putting Team Cherry up 6-2 with a beautiful toe-drag through the slot before depositing a shot over the shoulder of Kevin Mandolese (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) at the 15-minute mark.

Zadina would bury his second of the night on a rebound with 1:52 left in the third, grabbing the second effort off a Bouchard perimeter shot to send Team Cherry into the intermission leading 7-2.

Team Orr made things interesting in the third, getting goals from Cole Fonstad (Prince Albert Raiders) and Dmitry Zavgorodniy (Rimouski Océanic) to cut the deficit to three before the sound of the final buzzer.

Bouchard (4A) and Team Orr’s Kevin Bahl (1G, 1A) claimed Jim Gregory Player of the Game recognition as Team Cherry improved to 7-13 at the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Team Cherry outshot Team Orr 41-26 on the night, going 1-for-3 on the power play.

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that forward Aidan Dudas of the Owen Sound Attack has been added to the Team Cherry roster for the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game set for Thursday January 25 in Guelph.

A 17-year-old from Parry Sound, Ont., Dudas is playing in his second season with the Attack who chose him in the first round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. The forward is currently third in team scoring averaging exactly a point-per-game with 20 goals and 24 assists in 44 games. Dudas was listed 131st among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Season Rankings for the 2018 NHL Draft released on Monday. He was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning Under-18 team at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.

Dudas replaces Kody Clark of the Ottawa 67’s who is unable to compete due to injury.

Click here to see full Team Cherry and Team Orr rosters for the 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The 2018 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by title partner Sherwin-Williams, and CHL associate sponsors CIBC and Cooper Tires. The game will be broadcast live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Tickets are still available through the box office at 1-519-837-9690 or visit Ticketmaster to purchase online. For more information please visit http://sherwin-williamstopprospects.ca. Ask Sherwin-Williams™ For 150 years, Sherwin-Williams has been an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings. As North America’s largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies, Sherwin-Williams is dedicated to supporting both do-it-yourselfers and painting professionals with exceptional and exclusive products, resources to make confident colour selections and expert, personalized service at its more than 4,000 neighbourhood stores. For more information, visit sherwin-williams.ca. Join Sherwin-Williams on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tumblr.

As was the case in December, the two players who benefited most by Svechnikov’s absence were a pair of highly touted defencemen, Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm and Evan Bouchard of the London Knights. It’s been a see-saw, back and forth battle between the pair with Bouchard barely coming out on top at the end of December with 46 points, two more than Merkley. The latter held a one-point advantage at the end of November.

The absence of Svechnikov has also left the goal scoring department in a tight race, that is until he returns to action. Aidan Dudas of the Owen Sound Attack leads with 16 goals in 36 games. That’s just three more goals than Nathan Dunkley of the Kingston Frontenacs who comes in tenth with 13 goals.

Not to be lost in that group is Svechnikov’s 14 goals in 16 games. And no one comes close to his .88 goals-per-game. Serron Noel of the Oshawa Generals follows up in goals-per-game with 15 goals in 31 games, or .48 goals per game.

Here is the list of leaders in a variety of categories. Only players eligible for the NHL Draft for the first time are listed. We take great care in compiling the stats, but as is always the case, refer to the OHL website for official stats.

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the OHL Academic Players of the Month for November 2017, including Chad Denault of the Peterborough Petes, Isaac Walker of the Mississauga Steelheads, Aidan Dudas of the Owen Sound Attack and Chris Playfair of the Windsor Spitfires

East Division: Peterborough Petes forward Chad Denault is the OHL East Division Academic Player of the Month for November. A 17-year-old native of Iroquois Falls, Ont., Denault has attained an 80% average over his grade 12 studies at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School. He is currently studying in English, International Business Fundamentals and Data Management courses. “Chad is a conscientious young man in the class room and on the ice,” said Petes academic advisor Kim Driscoll. “He is a disciplined student who shows good academic insight and is well liked by his teachers and fellow students.” A 6-foot-1, 186Ib., right-winger, Denault was a third round pick of the Petes in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. He has one assist over 16 games this season.

Central Division: Mississauga Steelheads rookie defenceman Isaac Walker is the OHL Central Division Academic Player of the Month for November. A 17-year-old native of London, Ont., Walker holds an 88.3% average in his grade 12 studies at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School. He is currently taking university level Philosophy, Biology and Chemistry courses while competing in his first OHL season with the Steelheads. The 6-foot-1, 192Ib. defenceman helped guide the London Nationals Jr. B club to a GOJHL Western Conference championship last spring and has one assist in 19 games with the Steelheads this season. He was a ninth round pick by the club in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection.

Midwest Division: Draft eligible Owen Sound Attack sophomore forward Aidan Dudas is the OHL Midwest Division Academic Player of the Month for November. A 17-year-old native of Parry Sound, Ont., Dudas has achieved an overall overage of 86.5% in grade 12 university level courses at Owen Sound District Secondary School. “Aidan balances the demands of hockey and school with ease,” said Attack academic advisor Sarah Rowe. “He is an incredibly positive role model for his teammates both on and off the ice and always has something nice to say and is quick to lend a hand.” Dudas had a strong month of November, recording 14 points (5-9–14) over 11 games with the Attack for a season total of 31 points (14-17–31) through 27 contests. He was Owen Sound’s first round (10th overall) pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection.

West Division: Windsor Spitfires forward Chris Playfair is the OHL West Division Academic Player of the Month for November. The 17-year-old from Waterloo, Ont. has an 86% average in grade 12 university level Business, Data, and Biology courses at St. Anne Catholic Secondary School. “Chris is extremely well-liked by his teachers and fellow students,” said Spitfires academic advisor Danielle Chevalier. “He is a mature young man who recognizes the importance of an education and works diligently to achieve success in the classroom.” A former fourth round pick by the club in 2016, Playfair has two goals and an assist in 26 games this season.

Last season, the OHL Centrally Administered Scholarship Program facilitated scholarships for 301 OHL Alumni with a total scholarship payment in excess of $3.17 million. Since the 2007-08 season, OHL Scholarship payments have totaled more than $18.8 million.